AI file manager with semantic document search, editable summaries, and real file actions, using cloud or fully local models.
Who VaultRAG is for
VaultRAG is useful for anyone on Mac or Windows who wants a smarter way to find, understand, and work with their documents. It is especially powerful for researchers, students, power users, people who live in PDFs and Office files, and anyone already using AI heavily who wants their local files in the workflow. It can also run models entirely on your own computer, so it fits people who need their documents to stay private and offline.
Find files by what they say, not just what they're named. VaultRAG runs embedding search over AI-generated summaries of every document, so natural-language queries surface the right content even when you don't remember the filename. You can still narrow by name when you want to, and your vault stays a dedicated folder, fully separated from the rest of your system.
Access top-tier models through OpenRouter with no compromises on power. One key connects you to OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, and more. Review each model provider's data policy in OpenRouter and choose the endpoints that match your requirements.
Want your files and queries to stay completely private? VaultRAG can run chat and embedding models directly on your own machine through its built-in local AI runtime. Download a model in a couple of clicks, then search, summarize, and chat fully offline with nothing leaving your computer. Switch between local and cloud whenever you like. Local models are experimental today and improving fast.
Pin a file from a search result to keep it handy, drop it into the model's context to ask questions about it, and dial search depth up or down for the task at hand. VaultRAG also auto-tunes its retrieval thresholds as you search, so results get sharper the more you use it. You still get the desktop workflows people expect, including AirDrop on Mac and mounted or mapped network drives.
Parses Microsoft Office files down to the embedded images inside them: .docx, .xlsx, .pptx, .pdf, .epub, .msg, .eml, and more.
Start free with no credit card. Trial licenses are valid for 7 days on one device. When you're ready, pay $35 once for the desktop app and use it on up to two devices. Updates are included for free. Most users spend just $5-10/month on AI usage through OpenRouter vs $20/month for ChatGPT Plus or Claude Pro. Get the same models while actually working with your files, or run local models and pay nothing for AI usage at all. New to OpenRouter? See the OpenRouter setup guide in the docs.
VaultRAG summarizes every document on import so search works out of the box, and you can edit any summary by hand when you want a sharper description. Customize the system prompt to steer the model's tone, focus, and behavior to match how you actually work.
Ask a question that goes beyond your files and VaultRAG can look it up on the web in the same chat, then blend those results with what it finds in your vault. Keep the conversation in one place instead of bouncing between your documents and a browser.
VaultRAG watches your vault folder and keeps its index current as you add, rename, move, or delete files, in or out of the app. Whatever is on disk is what you search, so results never drift out of date and you never have to rebuild by hand.
Local and private
VaultRAG works with top cloud models through OpenRouter when you want maximum power, or with local models that run entirely on your own hardware when you want full privacy. The same semantic search, chat, and file actions work either way, and you can switch between cloud and local whenever you like. Run a local chat model and a local embedding model together and VaultRAG never sends your documents or queries anywhere. Everything stays on your machine, even offline. Local models are experimental today and getting better with every release.
Workflow
VaultRAG combines semantic search, filename filters, opening files, and reading file contents into a faster workflow.
Search and filter on your files in one message. VaultRAG looks by meaning and narrows the matches with any keyword or filename hint you include, so unrelated results stay out of the way. Ask to open the document and VaultRAG opens the matching file for you.
If you know the top search result is probably the right file, ask VaultRAG to search and read it in the same request. The file becomes chat context right away, ready for questions or summaries.
File manager
VaultRAG also ships with a full file manager built into the same app. One keyboard shortcut tabs you between chat and the file manager, so you stop bouncing between two separate apps and get your work done faster.
Everything you expect from a desktop file manager is here. Browse with list view or grid view, sort however you like, and jump between local drives, mounted servers, and your VaultRAG vault from the sidebar. Add your own folders to the file tree and group them into Favorites for one-click access.
Preview files inline with the preview pane, or hit space bar for a quick full preview the same way you would in Finder or File Explorer. Generate or edit a file summary right from the preview, then pin the file to the chat for easy access or drop it straight into the chat context to ask questions about it.
Create new files and folders directly inside the vault, search across everything from the top bar, and move around quickly with keyboard shortcuts. It is a file manager and an AI workspace in one window.
Themes and look
Beyond light and dark mode, VaultRAG includes more than 70 full themes inspired by the editors and terminals power users already love, plus a minimal mode that strips the interface down to just your files. Each theme below is shown in both its full and minimal look, side by side, so you can see exactly how the interface changes.
Full
Minimal
Free trial
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